While visiting with our valued patients and friends, we know that making decisions about various treatments isn’t easy. To help you better understand some of the basic dental health issues, we’ve set up a simple little framework. Of course, every decision is yours to make, we just want to help you be well informed. It’s our hope that this will help bring additional clarity to your decision making.

For purposes of the next several blog posts, we’ve divided “The Lifetime of Your Smile” into four phases:

Your 1–20 Year Old Smile

Your 20–40 Year Old Smile

Your 40–65 Year Old Smile

Your 65+ Year Old Smile

In addition to finding YOUR smile’s current phase, you probably have family members, loved ones, and friends who are in the other stages. We invite you to pass the information along!

Must do. Should do. Could do.

Each day—consciously and subconsciously—we prioritize decision making in all aspects of our lives by “must do’s,” “should do’s,” and “could do’s.” Here at Lake Oconee Dentistry our goal is to make sure you’re comfortable with every oral health decision you make, and that you see the difference between the “musts,” the “shoulds,” and the “coulds.”Of course, this article isn’t going to list everything for your dental care—and, there are no absolutely right or wrong answers to what you must, should, or could be doing about your health and appearance. Everyone has different priorities and different wants and needs. Think of these posts as a place to start. And if you have questions, we’d love for you to contact us about them._______________________________________________________

Today’s Post Is About Your 20–40 Year Old Smile

IT MAY BE TEMPTING DURING THIS TIME IN LIFE to skip or procrastinate regular check ups because “nothing hurts.” The problem is, often what you don’t see causes the most trouble in the long run. For many, this stage also represents the most active in terms of significant, long-term social interaction and career advancement.

Must Do

Keep regular check ups for early signs of gum disease, cracks in teeth, infections, cavities and potential problems with fillings. Most of these things can be reversed when caught early.

Oral cancer is the 6th most common cancer with the worst five-year survival rate of all major cancers. Finding and diagnosing at the early stages significantly increases survival rate.

Gum disease can raise a pregnant woman’s risk of developing a dangerous condition known as preeclampsia which can lead to eclampsia, or seizures late in pregnancy or after delivery. Eclampsia can cause organ damage and even death.

Wisdom teeth make their presence felt and can disrupt one’s bite causing long-term problems. Make sure to take care of your wisdom teeth as needed.

Should Do / Could Do

A healthy, gorgeous smile compliments your career and social life. Is there some little thing that would make you more confident when you smile? At Lake Oconee, we are ready to help.

Surveys show that 92% of North Americans agree an attractive smile is a crucial social asset. Does your social life suffer because you’re uncomfortable smiling?

It’s also been found that 74% believe an unattractive smile hurts a person’s chances of career success. During this time in life, when most people are absorbed in career development, have you considered the difference a confident smile could make?

Consider how the smile of your dreams could literally change your life—far more comfortably and affordably than ever before.

Here at Lake Oconee Dentistry, Drs. Bradley and Dr. Boswell, and their entire team, want to be your oral health partners for life! Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, if you haven’t already.

Watch for our next blog post to learn about one of the other phases in “The Lifetime of Your Smile”!